The United States must stand for something

Published: Wednesday, September 11, 2013 at 08:00 AM.

There are many differing points of view about taking action in Syria. Our country is weary of war, there is no doubt about that. We are not declaring war on Syria. The word “war” is bandied about to give a false impression of what our real aim is.

Chemical weapons were actually used in Syria. None were used or found in Iraq prior the run up to the invasion! Trying to equate Iraq with Syria does not make sense. People are dead from chemical weapons used by the Assad regime. Now some are trying to make the case the rebels may have used them. I’d venture to say that the only people who could have access to such devastating materials are those in the Assad government.

We were sold a bill of goods on Iraq, we all know that. These terms were used to try to persuade some of us (didn’t persuade me, I might add): Mushroom cloud! Greeted as liberators! Are you with us or against us! Iraqi oil will pay for war! All were said to drag us into a bogus war that cost so many lives on both sides.

Where were the protesters then? Why weren’t tougher questions asked then? Why no real in-depth checking of intelligence then? It seemed that some just went along with the program without insisting on taking more time to find the real truth.

Now here we are today with real pictures of dead bodies, many of whom were children, and we don’t want to get our hands dirty. Are we that insensitive? Do lives, especially children, mean nothing? Twenty children slaughtered in Sandy Hook plus six adults. No change on gun policy. Now children gassed (as well as others) in Syria. No action to be taken. Are you kidding me?

What was done to those poor souls in Syria was against international law, a law that was signed by 180 other countries prohibiting the use of chemical weapons. I thought we were a nation of laws. Or does it only matter when those laws affect our shores? Other countries may not be on board either for intervention, but let that be on their conscience, not ours.

We are the United States and we should stand for something — or do nothing and be looked upon as weak and heartless in the face of awful atrocities. The latter is not who we are, or should want to be.

There are many differing points of view about taking action in Syria. Our country is weary of war, there is no doubt about that. We are not declaring war on Syria. The word “war” is bandied about to give a false impression of what our real aim is.

Chemical weapons were actually used in Syria. None were used or found in Iraq prior the run up to the invasion! Trying to equate Iraq with Syria does not make sense. People are dead from chemical weapons used by the Assad regime. Now some are trying to make the case the rebels may have used them. I’d venture to say that the only people who could have access to such devastating materials are those in the Assad government.

We were sold a bill of goods on Iraq, we all know that. These terms were used to try to persuade some of us (didn’t persuade me, I might add): Mushroom cloud! Greeted as liberators! Are you with us or against us! Iraqi oil will pay for war! All were said to drag us into a bogus war that cost so many lives on both sides.

Where were the protesters then? Why weren’t tougher questions asked then? Why no real in-depth checking of intelligence then? It seemed that some just went along with the program without insisting on taking more time to find the real truth.

Now here we are today with real pictures of dead bodies, many of whom were children, and we don’t want to get our hands dirty. Are we that insensitive? Do lives, especially children, mean nothing? Twenty children slaughtered in Sandy Hook plus six adults. No change on gun policy. Now children gassed (as well as others) in Syria. No action to be taken. Are you kidding me?

What was done to those poor souls in Syria was against international law, a law that was signed by 180 other countries prohibiting the use of chemical weapons. I thought we were a nation of laws. Or does it only matter when those laws affect our shores? Other countries may not be on board either for intervention, but let that be on their conscience, not ours.

We are the United States and we should stand for something — or do nothing and be looked upon as weak and heartless in the face of awful atrocities. The latter is not who we are, or should want to be.

I don’t want us to engage in another full-scale war where troops are put in harm’s way. That is not what the Obama administration is advocating. This act of aggression must not go unpunished. This is a human morality issue. We as a people should stand up and speak for those who have lost their lives in hope this act of terror will not happen to anyone else.

CAROL PHILP
Panama City

● ● ●

The bloodletting must stop. Obama wants to bomb the war-weary Syrians to prove he is tough, to punish Assad, to make the world safe from chemical weapons. Hogwash.

Assad will not be punished by Obama’s bombs. They will not affect the balance of power in the civil war. They will strengthen his position, as he will be seen resisting the colossus. They will harm innocent children and civilians, as bombs always do.

The bombs will not free the world from chemical weapons. War criminals will continue to use them, including our own war criminals.

Nobody in Syria wants us to attack, except the rebels, who are losing. A strong majority of the British people are against the attack. Even the House of Commons is against it. A strong majority of the American people are against the attack. We will see if our elected representatives obey the will of the people or the will of their corporate owners. The major media, the propaganda arm of our corporate owners, has been beating the war drums for weeks.

The attack on Syria will be another war crime. Nations long ago agreed that there shall be no wars unless a nation is imminently attacked, or unless the United Nations authorizes the action. Obama seeks congressional approval only because he lacks popular support and international support. Even if Congress approves, the attack on Syria is still a war crime, because we have not been attacked, and the United Nations has not authorized the action.

People of good faith say we have to do something. We do. If chemical weapons were used, it is a war crime. The perpetrators should be hauled into the Hague for prosecution as war criminals. Fact-finding should occur. Judgment should be handed down. It may take time. It’s worth the time to punish war crimes without making war. It took decades to get Pinochet, Rios Montt, Eichmann. Some of our own war criminals have been identified but not yet brought to book, such as Henry Kissinger. It’s hard work. But it’s worth it. You don’t punish a war crime by committing another one.

If Obama wants to take a moral stand, let him prosecute the war criminals who lied us into Iraq. Let the evidence be seen and weighed. If his secretary of state has valid evidence of Assad’s war crimes, submit it to a proper international court for judgment that punishes Assad, not the people he rules.
Sadly, Obama does not believe in courts or due process. He meets every Tuesday to decide in secret who will die without either.

But what if this is another false flag? What if the chemicals were deployed by the rebels, or outside provocateurs? By the time we find out for sure, many more innocent Syrians, and who knows how many young Americans and allies, will have paid with their lives. The U.S. rushing to war on fake “intelligence.” Where have we heard this song before?

Say NO to war on Syria.

MICHEL L. STONE
Panama City

● ● ●

The situation in Syria could not illustrate more how much Washington and the political establishment have become completely disconnected from the public and the will of their constituents. The president painted himself into a corner with his “red line” statement, and now the Senate old boys club and the Republican House leadership are publicly backing his plans for attack in order for him to save face — and doing it in spite of overwhelming opposition from the American public.

The president and Congress refuse to make a case to America for such an attack. They keep citing the growing support from the international community. I would prefer to see growing support from the American public.